


Leverage Red Riding Hood AU

by yellow_craion



Category: Leverage
Genre: Alternate Universe - Little Red Riding Hood, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Fairy Tale Retellings, M/M, Nudity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-25
Updated: 2014-10-25
Packaged: 2018-02-22 13:54:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2510168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yellow_craion/pseuds/yellow_craion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alec grew up raised by an older woman, who'd taken him in after his parents had died. He was still very little back then, but he understood that they weren't related. That didn't stop the woman from caring and loving him, however, and over time they became a family. They lived in a house a bit away from the village, right by the forest.<br/>It was a peaceful life until one night, on a full moon, a wolf killed half the sheep of their neighbor. Hoping that the wolf wouldn't stay for long, the villagers waited. A month passed with no more loss and it was assumed that the beast moved on. Then on the next full moon, more animals were killed. The wolf was back and this time, a small hunting party was called to hunt it down. Their bloodied corpses were found the next day.<br/>Alec's Nana forbade him to leave the house after sunset. They bolted the doors and windows and prayed that their proximity to the woods wouldn't tempt the wolf to pay them a visit. Another thing that his Nana insisted on, to Alec's utter bewilderment, was that he wear a red hooded cloak at all times. She was adamant that the color would protect him from the creature.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Leverage Red Riding Hood AU

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Red Riding Hood AU](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/80045) by me. 



He's out gathering wood one evening, when Alec sees the wolf's footprints in the snow. Curiosity takes the better of him and he follows them deep into the forest. As he's walking, he notices the marks change. The footprints - now shaped exactly like those of a human - lead him to a cave. Inside, there's a small fire burning and a man sleeping nearby. It's too dark to see very well so Alec moves closer.

The unkempt stranger bolts up to crouch; strands of his long dark hair fall over his face and a sound like a growl carries over the empty cave. It's eerie how much he resembles a wild beast ready to pounce.

Alec takes a cautious step back with his hands open and visible. What possessed him to come here?!

"Calm down! Look, I'm not gonna hurt you…" Alec tries to reason, all the while thinking that he's not the most intimidating one here.

"Leave." The man's lips barely move and his voice is gruff, but the order is clear and hard to miss in the otherwise quiet space.

"I'm going, I'm going!" Alec answers readily, backing away further. He's too scared - or maybe too enthralled? - to face away from the stranger. He takes one last moment to drink in the details, like his tattered clothes that can't possibly be warm enough in this weather, or his calloused hands, twitching at his sides. He frowns.

The question is out before he can stop himself. "What's your name?"

A scowl is his only answer. Right.

"S-sorry! Forget I asked!"

Just as he's about to do the smart thing and go home, like he should have done a while ago, the man flinches and bends down, clutching at his chest and stomach. Alec stares, undecided.

"Are you…"

A feral roar interrupts him and the stranger falls to his knees. Alec can't even imagine the kind of pain a person must be in to make such a sound. He moves towards him but the man's head shoots up and those gleaming angry eyes are fixed on him again. "I said leave!"

"Nuh-uh! Not leaving you here like that!"

The man's body contorts and with a grunt he arches his back up, digging his fingers into the dirt. His old shirt and what's left of his jacket bunch up to reveal his naked back. The firelight makes the shadows dance on his skin, as his muscles spasm. Between cries of pain and growls, he pulls on his clothes, undressing in jerky motions.

At first Alec wants to protest the nudity. Then he hears a crunchy noise of bones breaking, joints popping and all he can do is watch in horror, frozen in place, as the man's arms and legs twist hideously and his body changes shape.

"RUN!!!"

Alec does. By the time he reaches the cave opening, the screams sound more like howling of an animal. A wolf. He thinks of the footprints he found earlier and remembers the latest killing. He wishes he could run faster but the trees and snow and his own body are against him. Cold air burns in his lungs. He stumbles over some roots several times and he's glad he's wearing his leather gloves, otherwise his hands would be scraped raw. The howling continues but he's miraculously still alive and he can see his home now, he's close.

He bangs on the door, yelling and it feels like his heart will break through his ribs any moment now and land at his feet.

His Nana ushers him inside and slams the door behind them. "Where have you been?! I was worried sick!" Once she's satisfied that it's secure, she turns to Alec and swats him on his shoulder angrily before she wraps him in a tight hug.

"Sorry, Nana." Drenched in cold sweat and shaking, Alec returns the embrace eagerly. "Got carried away…"

-

Unable to fall asleep, he spends the night thinking and planning. In the morning, well after the sun has risen just to be safe, Alec goes through his wardrobe. There's an old winter cloak, some trousers and maybe a scarf.  Things he won't miss but surely can be of use for the… the wolf-man. After dressing himself, he carries the spare clothes to the kitchen and stuffs them into one of the many baskets scattered around. He adds a loaf of bread wrapped up in a dishcloth and covers all of it with another one.

He's heading for the door when Nana walks inside, startled to see him this early. "Tell me you slept at least a little," she asks accusingly, folding her arms over her chest.

"Ah, yeah!" Alec chuckles, flustered at how well she can read him. "A bit."

 She takes off her coat and hangs it by the door before going to the pantry with a small basket of her own. "You should have said!"

"Nah, it's not that bad. I'm fine! And I still have to get that wood I left behind yesterday, right? Where were you?"

"Checking up on the chickens," she answers, showing him some fresh eggs she's putting away for later. "Luckily the wolf left them alone last night."

"Good." Alec puts on his red cloak, picks his supplies and hopes Nana won't ask about them. "Don't wait for me with breakfast!" And he hurries out.

-

Finding the cave in daylight isn't too hard, now that Alec knows about it. He listens carefully before going in this time and looks around. He steps over some discarded bones that still have remnants of flesh on them and hopes they don't come from a human at least.

His eyes slowly adjust to the darkness and he soon spots what’s left of a fire, along with a pile of rags that the wolf-man so hurriedly ripped from his body.

That particular recollection makes Alec's face flush with warmth and he scans the surroundings quickly, for a distraction. He finds the naked body, curled up in a far corner instead.

"Whoa!" He stares, muttering "please, don't be dead… _please,_ don't be dead…" Warily, he goes forward. The closer he gets, the more details does he pick up. Like the way his chest moves with each breath - the wolf-man must be sleeping - or how his left arm is tucked under his head, substituting for a pillow. How his other arm is draped over his abdomen or how well-toned his muscles are.

He gulps. "Um, hello?"

The wolf-man groans when he sees him but doesn't get up. "You again? What do you want?!"

Straining to keep his eyes from wandering, Alec goes digging through his basket, "good mornin' to you too. I brought you some clothes. Here," he pulls out a shirt and grins before tossing it at him. It lands neatly on the man's crotch."That's better. And look! I have some pants to go with it…"

The wolf-man scoffs. In a surprisingly fluid motion - for someone who just last night had all his bones broken and reset - he stands and picks up the shirt, strides up to Alec and shoves the material into his chest. "I don't need your charity, kid! I've made it alone this far and I don't need you." He's not yelling, not punching. The fist on Alec's chest that's holding the shirt in place is there, and the fire in his eyes is clear. And he definitely could rip Alec limb from limb. Except that he could have done all that yesterday and yet he didn't. He told him to run instead.

Alec shakes his head, exasperated. "Sure you don't!" He steps away, not paying much attention to the material falling into the dirt. "Ungrateful bastard!" He picks up the empty basket and stomps out of the cave, leaving the wolf-man standing there naked and alone and completely baffled.

-

It's the market day some weeks later and as always, Alec and his Nana go together to a town nearby; they have eggs to sell, some chickens if they're lucky. They also need to buy things that can't be found in their small village.

As usual, Alec is the one to run the errands, while Nana stays with their cart, attending the customers.

It all goes well until they're about to pack and go home, when they realize they've taken longer this time and the sun will be setting soon. They won't make it home before nighttime.

"So?" Alec shrugs, stacking the parcels on the cart and covering them with an old blanket. "Wouldn't be the first time."

"It's the full moon tonight," she points out gravely. There's no need to say more, Alec knows she was just as scared for him that night as he was. He doesn't want to worry her more and he can't be certain that if the wolf were to find them, it wouldn't tear them into pieces.

"How about we stay at the inn? Did we make enough?"

"I think so…" Nana peers into her purse but doesn't sound convinced.

Their visit to the inn turns out to be a waste of time anyway when they hear there are no vacant rooms left. And the keeper's careless joke about becoming the monster's chew toy only makes their moods sink lower. There's no choice now, they have to hurry.

The moon illuminates their path as they pull the handcart behind them. The howling echoes through the woods and it's hard to tell where it's coming from.

There's a rustling sound to one side of the road, as if someone was breaking branches off the bushes. The next moment, a dark figure leaps onto the path and they freeze in place once they see it's the wolf. It's watching them, skulking.

Alec lets go of the cart, gently. He's shaking and a small, morbid thought crosses his mind; that he's ever knew it was possible to shake so hard. He never believed the stories of people who were so terrified. Now he knows better. He'd laugh at that, if he wasn't afraid of provoking the beast.

"I'll distract it while you run home, you hear?" Nana's voice is quiet but urgent all the same.

He glances at her, confused. "This is no time for jokes!" He admonishes in the same tone.

"I'm serious. I'm old, you have your whole life ahead…"

"Hell NO!" He yells at her, and it seems that's all the invitation the wolf needs as he's moving towards them. Its steps are slow, almost calculated, as if it was considering which one of them to kill first. The wolf stops right in front of Alec, sniffs and then growls, baring its teeth.

Alec flinches but there's no room to step away.

"Come on, you're a nice wolf, you don't really wanna eat me," he mumbles with a nervous, borderline hysterical smile, feeling like all his insides are climbing up his throat.

With a final snarl, the beast turns away and dashes through the bushes. Soon, there's another howl filling the air.

His trembling legs can't support him any longer and Alec collapses onto the dirt road, panting and staring at the spot the wolf was standing just moments earlier. His Nana is saying something, or he thinks she is but can't be sure. All he can hear is thumping of his heart.

He's alive. This time he bursts out laughing, unable to control it. Nana is looking at him strangely and he feels tears welling in his eyes but the startling wave of relief is too much.

This is the second time. The second time the wolf _didn't_ kill him.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he reassures his Nana, "you?"

She nods once and stands up, "I don't know what happened, but we better go home. We were lucky this time…"

"Yeah…" Alec joins her and together, they resume pulling on the cart. Their village isn't far now.

-

The very next day, the sun hasn't been up for an hour when he's up and preparing another basket, this time only with food. He leaves a note so Nana doesn't worry unnecessarily, puts on his red cloak and goes to the cave.

Once again, he finds the wolf-man curled up naked, sleeping by the remnants of a fire. He doesn't try to wake him though. Instead, Alec lights the fire anew and, once done, planks himself next to it with a contented sigh.

He doesn't have to wait long.

"What are you doin' here?"

Alec glances over his shoulder, making an effort to keep his eyes focused on the wolf-man's face. "You should really work on your manners, man!" He jokes, not expecting any change.

He hears him sigh heavily but then, a soft "hey" answers him.

He grins at him, after his surprise passes. "Hello!" Good start. "Brought you more food, if you're interested," he points to the basket.

The wolf-man puts on his clothes, the ones Alec gave him and it makes Alec's smile widen a bit. He then sits down on the other side of the fire, taking the basket with him. He pulls the cover off and looks inside, considering for a moment and takes out a fried chicken leg. And then another. And soon he devours most of the meat at an unnatural speed.

Alec wonders if he'd be this hungry if he'd…

He clears his throat. "Thank you. For yesterday, you know, not …killing us."

The wolf-man pauses to give Alec a long hard look. "And yet, here you are."

Alec shrugs, not sure what to say to that. The wolf-man finishes the meal and is back to staring at him.

"Look. Appreciate the food, but you shouldn't come here. You know I'm dangerous. I can rip you to shreds in a minute."

Alec pays no mind to the glare he's getting. "But you won't," he counters with a toothy grin.

"What?"

"You don't want to hurt me," he announces proudly. "You like me!"

The wolf-man grumbles something irritably and turns his head away. ~~~~

They sit without a word for some time, allowing the crackling of the fire to fill the silence.

"So... I've been calling you wolf-man, you know, in my head…" Alec chuckles, then glances up at him shyly. "Do you have a name or do I keep calling you that?"

He snorts. "Eliot," he says in that soft voice of his.

Alec smiles. "Nice to meet you Eliot. I'm Alec, by the way…"


End file.
